A letter condemning the proposal by government was read in 25,000 churches on Sunday.

The Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has intensified its campaign against government's plans to legalise same-sex or homosexual marriage, the BBC reported. In a letter read in 25,000 parish churches yesterday Sunday March 11, 2012 to about five million Christians, the Church's two most senior archbishops argued that the change would reduce the significance of marriage.

The letter by Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and Archbishop Peter Smith - the Archbishop of Southwark - reminds Roman Catholics that they have a duty to ensure that the plan does not succeed and the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations.

Last week, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, described the plans as grotesque, saying it would "shame the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world" if implemented. The Mail newspaper said Prime Minister David Cameron is a strong supporter of plans to legalise same-sex marriage, details of which are to be formally unveiled later this month. The plans are also supported by the Liberal Democrats, but the proposal has divided the Conservative Party and put Mr. Cameron on a collision course with religious leaders.

In January, the Anglican Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, insisted that governments did not have the moral authority to redefine marriage. If the law is changed, Britain will become the seventh European country to recognise same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Norway.

A recent survey by the group, Catholic Voices, shows that seven out of 10 Britons believe that marriage should continue to be defined as a lifelong union of a man and a woman, the Catholic Herald said. More than eight out of 10 people believe that children have the best chance in life if raised by their biological parents, the survey indicated. Pope Benedict XVI last week urged a group of visiting US Catholic Bishops to defend the traditional ideas of marriage, insisting that couples living together out of wedlock are a threat to society. Eight US states have legalised gay marriage.